#EdTech provider, The Access Group reports 42% annual turnover growth, establishing itself as a tech unicorn

The Access Group, one of the UK’s leading providers of business software, has announced its latest financial figures, showing significant year-on-year growth in its 2018 fiscal year, with turnover rising 42% from £101.1 million to £143.1 million.

The company also announced its EBITDA had risen 70% from £27.9 million to £47.6 million year-on-year. This growth was fuelled by a combination of strategic acquisitions and a rise in organic growth to 13%, with recurring revenue making up 70% of total revenue.

The last financial year has also seen strategic investment from Hg into The Access Group, alongside existing investor TA Associates, giving the business an enterprise valuation of £1 billion.

Access in Education

The software provider is a staple of the education sector in the UK, having worked with schools, academies, multi-academy trusts and local authorities for over a decade.

The Access Group is currently supplying Access Education to 7,500 schools; which represents approximately 1 in 2 schools and 1 in 3 academies across England and Wales.

The Access Education software suite provides efficiency and engagement solutions for educational establishments. From finance and curriculum-based planning, through to HR, payroll, recruitment and screening, hosting and facilities management, all of the school’s software is brought together in one place on Access Workspace, making it easy to view all the vital information on one screen.

Financial results

We’ve had an outstanding year and are proud of our achievements over the last 12 months. Our investments in people, products, and acquisitions have driven exceptional growth that has cemented our position as the UK’s leading mid-market cloud solutions provider.

The software company has also launched Access Workspace during FY18, to transform the way organisations use business software. The new platform integrates all your business software in one place to give a single view on business performance and data. Through its core software and complementary apps, it accelerates efficiency and productivity, by automatically updating all records when a user makes updates in one business system, and allows users to customise their Workspace around the way they work. 

The privately funded company has added more than 1,500 customers in the last 12 months, meaning it has more than 14,000 customers using The Access Group’s products across Finance, HR, Payroll, Hospitality, Recruitment, Health & Social Care, Manufacturing & Distribution, Education and Not for Profit sectors.

The last financial year has seen the business make three strategic acquisitions in the hospitality sector with the purchase of Designmynight, ProNett and Procure Wizard as it continues to grow its offering in the sector. The company also completed the acquisition of c360 to complement its already well-established healthcare offerings. These acquisitions and organic company growth have taken the total number of employees from 1,300 to 1,500 in a year.

Acquisitions

Acquisitions are an important part of our growth, and we will be continuing to look for innovative players that can extend our offerings in sectors as we grow the business across the industries we operate in.

The acquisitions in the hospitality sector mean The Access Group can now offer customers online booking, ticketing and event management software, as well as P2P, supply chain management, time and attendance solutions. This wider offering has already established the Hospitality sector as The Access Group’s second biggest revenue generator. 

The Access Group continues to deliver on its mission to become the UK’s mid-market cloud solutions provider that helps businesses improve their margins through greater cost control, improved productivity and compliance. With further plans to integrate a host of additional products to deliver more value to customers, The Access Group is in a strong position going into its next financial year to deliver against its purpose.

Chris Bayne, CEO, The Access Group